1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vibration reducing apparatus and a lens barrel, capable of reducing a vibration produced by, for example, by hand vibration in a camera or the like.
2. Related Background Art
There are already known a vibration reducing apparatus constituting at least a part of an image taking optical system and including a vibration reducing lens for reducing the vibration, a lens support frame for supporting such vibration reducing lens and a driving mechanism for driving the lens support frame in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the optical axis, and a lens barrel incorporating such vibration reducing apparatus. The lens support frame is provided with coils, constituting a part of the driving mechanism, respectively in an X-axis direction and in a Y-axis direction. In a fixed member of the lens barrel there is supported a set of a yoke and a permanent magnet, respectively corresponding to each of the coils in the X- and Y-axis directions provided in the lens support frame. Such yokes and permanent magnets constitute a part of the driving mechanism. As a magnetic field is formed between the yoke and the permanent magnet, the lens support frame receives a driving force and therefore moves in the X- or Y-direction when a current is supplied in the corresponding coil.
However, in the lens barrel equipped with the conventional vibration reducing apparatus, the driving mechanism protrudes from the external periphery of the lens support frame. For this reason, in the lens barrel of the above-mentioned structure, the internal periphery has to be of a size capable of housing the driving mechanism including the portion protruding from the external periphery of the lens support frame. Also in case of placing, for example, a diaphragm mechanism at an object side of the vibration reducing apparatus, there are required a drive source provided in the camera body and an axially extended link member for transmitting the driving force from the drive source thereby driving the diaphragm mechanism. In such situation, in order to prevent the interference between the link member and the driving mechanism protruding from the external periphery of the lens support frame, the link member has to be positioned outside the driving mechanism. As a result, the radial size of the lens barrel may become large, so that the entire lens barrel may become bulky.
On the other hand, the conventional vibration reducing apparatus has to be installed within a limited space in the lens barrel. Therefore, if the vibration reducing apparatus can be formed as a compact unit, the installation of such unit into the lens barrel can be conducted in an efficient manner. Also, if such vibration reducing unit is made lighter in weight, the installing work can be achieved more easily. However the vibration reducing apparatus, incorporating the complex driving mechanism, tends to become bulky, so that it is difficult to realize a compact and light vibration reducing unit.
Also the conventional vibration reducing apparatus is provided with an electrical circuit for driving and controlling the vibration reducing lens. However, it is difficult to secure the space for mounting the electrical circuit when the vibration reducing apparatus is formed as a compact unit. It is also possible to first install the vibration reducing unit in the lens barrel and then to connect the vibration reducing unit with an electrical circuit provided in the lens barrel. However the wiring operation is difficult within the limited space of the lens barrel. Consequently, in compactizing the vibration reducing unit, it is necessary to secure, in the vibration reducing unit, the installation space for the electrical circuit.